Run to You
by Cyberlaydie
Summary: Four years after the death of Rumpelstiltskin, Belle finds herself trapped in a toxic, loveless marriage. But when Rumpelstiltskin returns to Storeybrooke, the way back to him is not as simple as she would hope. Post 3x11 AU.
1. Birthdays

**_Hi everyone! I'm a little hesitant about posting this here, mainly because I haven't used this account in so long. I haven't written any fic in forever, so I'm extremely rusty, and when I do I usually house it on tumblr. But anyway, this story picks up after Rumple kills himself and Pan. Moderate violence/abuse and allusions to rape. Enjoy!_**

**_Also I'm so sorry because I haven't used this website in so long and I can't quite get the formatting to work with me, but I will hopefully figure it out soon so please bare with me for the moment. _**

_Belle didn't get out of bed for days. It's not that she simply didn't want to, but she physically could not. Every time she tried she felt like her legs were going to fall out from under her. The sheets still smelled like Rumpelstiltskin, and she just wanted to lay there covered in warmth and his scent forever. She didn't know what she was going to do without him, but every time she thought about it she would cry until she fell asleep._

_It was Archie that finally convinced her to leave the house._

_Five days after Rumple defeated Pan and sacrificed himself, Archie was at her door. He really cared about her well being like he cared about so many others in the town. He knocked, several times, before letting himself in and making his way up to the bedroom. None of the doors were locked, Belle didn't care if anything happened to her at this point._

_"Belle?" He said softly, pushing the door open gently and finding her in a ball under the covers. He rubbed her back, telling her that she needed to eat something, and that she would feel better if she just let her friends help her. She didn't remember agreeing to go to Granny's, but suddenly they were walking through the door to the diner, into a mass of familiar faces that all looked very concerned about her._

_She was welcomed in with many warm embraces and concerned smiles, they were all just happy that she was getting out of the house and eating again. She talked to Archie, Ruby, Grumpy, and many other friends for what seemed like hours. She was starting to feel something again. She was still overwhelmingly heartbroken, but for the first time she didn't feel hopeless. She was starting to feel warm again._

_The door to the diner swung open. A tall, dark haired man that Belle had never seen before walked in. Judging by the look on everyone's face, they had never seen him before either._

_"Who is that?" Belled asked the group that had assembled._

_"I have no idea," Ruby replied._

_Whoever he was, he walked up to the counter like he owned the place._

Four Years Later

"Looks like it's just you and me baby girl," Belle said to the toddler sitting on her lap, kissing her head and making her giggle, "Why don't you wish Mommy a happy birthday and then help her blow out the candles?"

Cheyenne wished her mother an enthusiastic happy birthday, and then helped Belle blow out the candles on the cake she had bought herself. The cake read Happy Birthday in big pink letters. She wished she hadn't even bought it, because it was making her sad. She just felt pathetic. She was celebrating her birthday by herself, in her kitchen, with a cake she had bought herself. She had her daughter, but Cheyenne didn't even really know what a birthday was, because she was only two and a half. She stroked her baby's brown curls that matched Belle's. Cheyenne was the spitting image of her mother.

She glanced at the empty seat across the table as Cheyenne happily munched on her piece of cake. She might not feel as pathetic as she did if her husband had bothered to show up, for any part of her day. She had woken up alone, with no flowers, no card, not even a phone call or a simple text message. The only reason she knew her husband was even alive is because Granny said he had been in the diner for lunch. She wondered if he was mad at her but then changed her mind; she would know if he was mad at her.

Right at the end of that thought she heard a car door slam in the driveway. "Look," she whispered to Cheyenne, pointing out the window in the direction of the headlights, "Daddy's home!"

Cheyenne squirmed in Belle's arms trying to get to her father, but Belle held her in place, an old habit because she never knew quite how her husband would walk in. She was always hopeful, she had been hopeful ever since they got married, but as soon as the door opened she realized how tonight was going to be. The same way the past four years had been.

"Cheyenne," She said to her daughter in a hushed, falsely upbeat tone. "Daddy isn't feeling well tonight, and it's about time for bed. Are you tired?"

"Yes," Cheyenne agreed in a sleepy voice.

"Will," she said to the dark haired man in her kitchen, "I'm putting Cheyenne to bed, and then I'll be back." He nodded.

Belle carried Cheyenne down the hall to her bedroom, the two year old got heavier and heavier as she fell asleep in her mother's arms. Belle clung to her daughter like she was the only thing keeping her head above water, which in many ways she was.

"Why doesn't daddy want to see me?" Cheyenne suddenly mumbled, half asleep.

Belle stopped short at her daughter's words,letting out a sharp breath and having to lean against the wall for support. Her daughter had never said anything like that before, and it absolutely broke Belle's heart. Cheyenne was her whole world. Belle could handle constantly getting hurt, but all she wanted was to shield her daughter from that life.

"Daddy loves you very much, but he doesn't feel well and doesn't want you to start feeling bad too," Belle came up with the first excuse that rolled off her tongue. Cheyenne accepted it without question and Belle set her down in her bed. She still had all the innocence a young child should, and would believe anything her mother told her, but Belle knew she couldn't stay that way forever.

She tucked her in and told her goodnight. "I love you baby," she whispered kissing her on the forehead, but Cheyenne was already asleep.

She paused in her daughter's bedroom and took a deep breathe before closing the door and making her way back to the kitchen to face her husband. Will was getting a glass of water, but Belle could smell the whiskey a mile away. He always went on about how a glass of water between drinks kept hangovers away, but Belle figured he was way past that at this point. Will reeked of it, he must have been out drinking all evening.

"You missed my birthday," Belle said smalley, feeling miniscule in more ways than one next to her six foot four husband. A brief flicker of recognition crossed his face at the mention of her birthday.

"Your birthday," he repeated. "Oh Belle, I'm sorry." He reached for her and grabbed her waist, pulling her against him with force.

"It's okay," she tried to pull back, not wanting to do this right now, like this. He took hold of her wrists, pulling her in again, and kissing her neck. It felt like he hadn't shaved in days, the scruff on his face scraped against her skin. She just gave up, like she always did, and led him upstairs to their bedroom so she could at least go to sleep after he was done.

She lay there with him and tried to forget the fact that it was her birthday.

The next day, Will had been in a good enough mood after waking up. He apologized to Belle for missing her birthday, and he seemed sincere so she accepted it. He left without much more conversation, so Belle got Cheyenne up and ready for daycare.

She was leaving the house, toddler in tow, when David Nolan ran up to her front door.

Before Belle could get out her string of concerned questions, David interrupted her. "I think there's something you need to see," he started, "something happened, well something is happening, anyway I think you need to come because we're not quite sure what is happening actually." Belle was more confused than David seemed. She had stopped getting involved with the Charmings after Rumplestiltskin died, so she wasn't quite sure what this had to do with her.

She looked at Cheyenne. "Do you want to take fun trip with Mommy before daycare today?" Cheyenne nodded, taking advantage of extra time with her mother. Belle also looked at David. "She'll be fine, right? I mean, this isn't anything dangerous is it?"

"No, I don't think so. Actually I'm not sure, but you'll both be fine. I'll explain on the way over."

But David didn't explain. They all loaded up into his truck and he drove them to the main square by the clocktower. It was obvious something had happened, it looked like a hurricane had hit. "A portal opened up, right in the middle of the square," David elaborated. Belle was shocked. From what she had gathered after Rumple died, travel between the worlds was extremely limited, and would need a very powerful force to jump start it again. A chill ran down her spine and she hugged her daughter closer to her.

There were a group of people assembled in the middle of the square. It looked like David's family, Emma and Snow, along with Regina and Hook and a few others. All the usual suspects.

Belle picked up Cheyenne and got out of the truck, keeping her head pushed against her chest in a protective embrace. The group split in two when they saw she had arrived, revealing a dark figure standing in the center. Her heart raced, she recognized the man looking straight back at her. Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumple was tired of all the interrogations about the portal opening up and his presence. He was about to put an end to them himself, he had more important things to be doing, but David Nolan's truck rolled up and everyone stopped talking, looking warily in that direction. David stepped out, and the group of people that had assembled parted. Someone else got out of the passenger's side, a beautiful girl with chestnut hair and blue eyes. Rumplestiltskin's heart raced as he recognized her familiar face. He was still slightly disoriented, but the one thing he knew since he had woken up was that he had to get back to Belle. His eyes moved from her face as he noticed another detail about her, that she was carrying a child on her hip.

**Thanks for reading! R&R, check out my tumblr and all that good stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Cheyenne is mine. Nothing else is mine.**


	2. Options

**_I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter! I wanted to get this chapter up tonight because I'm moving tomorrow and not sure how long the chaos will last or when I'll have internet again. Hope you all like this chapter!_**

_Will was nice to her._

_Belle had stepped outside of Granny's, needing to get some air. Her friends all remained inside, and they would probably notice she was gone after a few minutes, but she had just spent five days by herself, mourning the loss of her love, she needed a few minutes alone. Her heart still felt broken. The sun hit her skin and chased away the brisk air, and her hair whipped in the wind. She tried to contain it by tucking strands behind her ears, but gave up when the wind put up too much of a fight and picked up stronger, sighing and slumping in her seat. Belle let her hands drop to her lap and Rumpelstiltskin's face flashed to her mind._

_Then she felt someone sit down next to her. She looked up in surprise. Will's face was unexpectedly close, his blue eyes shining. They were a very similar color to hers. His hair was also very dark, but where hers had a more reddish tint his stayed a very dark brown, making it appear almost black. He was handsome, but that wasn't the first thing that she noticed about him. What struck her was the way he leaned back, relaxed, as if they had had this conversation a thousand times._

_"So what's your story?" He asked. "Why are you out here by yourself? You don't strike me as the bitter loner type," he raised an eyebrow at her._

_His voice sucked her right out of her trance and back into the real world. She quickly reached up and wiped her eyes of stray tears, which she felt coming on the moment she started thinking about Rumple. "I just, needed some space. There's been a lot going on lately, and they are all just, a lot." Belle made a mental note to tone back her use of 'just' and 'a lot', but she didn't want to get into detail with this stranger, so it was justified. "But why am I explaining myself to you," she wondered out loud, "I've never seen you before?"_

_"It's just that whenever I see a pretty girl crying on a sidewalk bench, I like to make sure she's okay," with that he threw her a smile and got up, sauntering down the street back to wherever it was he came from._

_This was one of Belle's favorite memories with Will._

Rumpelstiltskin really felt alive for the first time since being reincarnated. Seeing Belle's face gave him a new sense of purpose, as it always did. He wanted to run to her and touch her face, fell her warm skin and soft hair, but when he really looked at her she was visibly upset. There was also the fact that Belle was holding a small girl that he had never seen before. He honestly did not know what to make of that one.

His eyes never left her, but she looked up at David Nolan and said something to him, but he couldn't make it out. He replied, looking concerned as well, and Rumpelstiltskin wished he could hear the exchange. Belle hurried away and got into David's truck, and Rumple was slightly hurt, not receiving the welcome he expected. He ached for her, and he was expecting his reunion with his true love to be a little less cold a confusing. David looked over at Snow and motioned down the street, Snow just nodded. David got in the truck and drove away with Belle.

"Where is she going?" Rumple wondered aloud.

"We thought she could help," Snow started. "It seemed like a good idea to bring her to see you, but I guess we were wrong. We should have figured from the beginning."

"Can someone just tell me what's going on here? With her, more specifically," he said, pointing a finger in the direction Belle that had driven off with David.

No one said anything. Snow and Emma exchanged looks.

Regina stepped up. "Why don't you tell us about all this?" She waved a charismatic hand around the square. He had left quite a mess when he opened up his portal back to this land, but he always was fond of making a dramatic entrance.

"Sorry to disappoint, dearie," he hissed at Regina, "but for once, I'm as in the dark as you are. All I remember is waking up next my vault, I'm guessing after someone chose to reincarnate me. There was a note that said "to Storybrooke," attached to a magic bean, so here I am. Now, will someone please tell me what is happening with Belle?" He was frustrated now. He spat that last sentence out at Regina, hoping it would get him some answers. She was already not happy with him, possibly feeling a threat to her authority. This had always been a nice little characteristic of their relationship, but it kept both of them on their toes whenever the other was around.

"There is no way you have no other idea how you got here," Regina stated, and started to go on about something else.

Hook stood at the back of the crowd that had gathered, watching The Dark One and and The Evil Queen argue in the street. He knew full well who had brought Rumpelstiltskin back, and he was angry at himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Thank you for the ride," Belle said quickly to David before exiting his truck. She practically ran into the shop with Cheyenne in tow, locking the door behind her and making sure the sign read closed. The shop could be a good hideout for a little while without anyone bothering her, but that would only last for so long. She set her baby down in the play area she had set up, and walked back over to the door, peeking out the blinds. David was gone, Rumpelstiltskin was nowhere to be seen, she was alone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sank down against the door, feeling like she was able to breathe again for the first time today. She also let herself think rationally for the first time. She hadn't even considered how Rumpelstiltskin had gotten here, or why he was here for that matter. When she saw him she let fear overwhelm her. She knew that interacting with him was not an option, plain and simple.

Now that she had removed herself from that situation her mind started to wonder. Travel between the worlds was basically non existent at this point. She had read up on it a lot after Rumple had died, trying to figure out a way to bring him back. Not surprisingly, she hadn't found anything that enabled her to do so; one, because travel between realms was extremely difficult, and two, because soon after was when Will really came into her life. She hadn't found anything to bring Rumple back at the time, but obviously someone else had.

But it didn't matter, he might as well still be dead. There wasn't even the possibility of a real conversation with him, as long as Will was around. She might try if it was just herself on the line, but she had someone else to worry about. She glanced over at her daughter playing innocently with her dolls, no idea the trouble her mother was experiencing. She would lose everything if Will caught her talking to Rumpelstiltskin. Belle was completely dependent on Will. The house, the shop, all their money, everything. And god knows what Will would do to Belle. She would not leave Cheyenne in a bad situation, that just was not an option.

There was so much love in her heart for her daughter, and she wondered how something so wonderful could come out of a situation that was so toxic. It wasn't always like that, however. She used to love Will a lot.

For the next few hours Belle occupied herself with taking care of things around the shop. Organizing, checking the books, whatever she could. She kept the closed sign up, in no state of mind to deal with anyone. No one called either, and she was grateful for that. She glanced at the clock and it revealed it was almost lunch. Will might stop by soon, as he sometimes did unexpectedly around lunch. She didn't like Will being in the shop; the shop was her space, and it held a special meaning to her. But then again she didn't like half the things that Will did, and that didn't stop him.

Thinking about Will showing up the shop made her stop dead in her tracks. What if Rumpelstiltskin came here? It was his shop, after all. All of his things were still here, all of his magic was still here. She kept all of it, it was just sitting in the back room. What if Rumple tried to come here, and then Will showed up while he was here? She didn't even want to think about that. She would not sit around and wait for something disastrous to happen, she was taking this situation in her own hands

She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Belle!" Ruby Lucas's voice rang out on the other end. "Are you okay!? I heard about everything that happened."

"I'm fine, Rubs. Look, he's not, there now is he?"

"No, I heard that they took him down to the sheriff's station, because they didn't believe his story. He's being held until he tells the truth or they can validate what he said." Of course Ruby already knew all about what was happening.

"Oh thank goodness," Belle breathed a sigh of relief. This was only a temporary solution, but at least she had time to figure out a plan. "I'm coming down there now, I think I might go crazy hiding out in the shop."

"Okay sweetie, I'll see you soon." Ruby hung up the phone.

She gathered her things and Cheyenne and walked down to Granny's. As she walked in Ruby was setting a burger and tea down on the counter, next to a small grilled cheese for Cheyenne. This made her smile. Archie was sitting on the stool next to her food, and that made her smile too. Archie and Ruby had become her two best friends ever since Rumple died, even if she didn't see them as often as she would like.

Archie held his arms open for her and Belle fell into them.

"How are you?" he asked, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"I'm okay," Belle sighed.

"So what actually happened this morning?" Ruby asked when Belle sat down and started cutting up the grilled cheese into bites for Cheyenne.

"I don't know. David Nolan showed up at my door and asked me to come see something, next thing I know we're in the square with Rumpelstiltskin. I was scared, I asked David to drive me to the shop and I didn't speak to Rumple."

"Belle," Archie said as she took a bite of her burger, "this isn't going to end well."

"I know," Belle admitted. She was completely exhausted at this point, just from all that had happened this morning. "I don't know what to do. I just won't get involved, this isn't my problem."

"This is completely your problem. You really loved him." Ruby looked at her sympathetically.

"Yeah, I really did." And she probably still did, but she wouldn't even admit that to herself. "I know that I'll end up getting involved, but I have to be careful, because it's not just me I have to worry about." As if on cue, the door opened, and the trio looked over. It was Will, staring directly at Belle. His blue eyes were dark and threatening, and it was obvious he had come here looking for her.

"Take Cheyenne for me, please," Cheyenne went willingly over to Archie; he was one of her favorite people outside of her parents.

She walked over to Will. He looked down at her as she took hold of his arm. "Come outside with me," she said and gently pulled him outside. Once they were outside the diner he crossed his arms like a disappointed father.

"Do you have anything to tell me?" He asked.

Belle swallowed hard. "No."

"Belle I know when you're lying to me," he just looked at her with a stern expression. "You're sitting in the gossip center of the town, with the woman who runs the whole thing, and you're playing dumb? What is this I'm hearing about Rumpelstiltskin being back?"

"I don't know anything about that," she lied.

"I don't want you going anywhere near him. He's dangerous and you are not to get involved."

She couldn't help but defend Rumple to Will. "He's not dangerous. And even so, he would never hurt me." As soon as that last sentence left her mouth she regretted it. Will was already not happy with her, talking that way about Rumple would not help the situation.

"I don't care. I don't want you going anywhere near him, do you understand me?" He got closer to her. He was taller than her by a lot, so he towered over her. But that was intentional, it was always how he had asserted his dominance over her. Belle braced herself.

The door to the diner opened, and Archie stepped out. "Is everything okay here?" He asked, facing them.

Will looked at Archie, and then back at Belle, ultimately deciding it wasn't worth the effort. "I'm going back to work. Remember what I said to you." And with that he walked away, and Belle could breathe again.

She walked back into the diner with Archie. "Belle, you can't go on like this." He said to her.

"I don't really have another choice," she said as she took Cheyenne back from Ruby.

"We just hate seeing him do this to you," Ruby said.

"I know, but there isn't much I can do about it. Not if I want to keep my daughter safe." She looked down. They couldn't help her. No one really could.

Hook stood in front of the empty pawn shop and picked the lock carefully, sure that Belle wasn't inside. He had already broken into the library, only to come up empty handed, so the only other place to look was Rumpelstiltskin's former shop.

The door opened and he stepped inside. He walked past the baby toys that were scattered everywhere and into the back room. Belle didn't do much business here anymore. She shouldn't have decided to keep the shop after the imp died, she might not be in this situation if she had give it up.

He dug around for a few minutes, not exactly sure where to look for the item he sought. Finally, he hit a loose floorboard and pried it up, removing the contents from inside.

He picked up the large, leather bound book and flipped through the pages. He had an idea of what he was looking for based on the information they had gotten from Rumpelstiltskin, but he wasn't exactly sure. Suddenly, he came to a page with a detailed diagram of The Dark One's vault, and he read the information around it. It confirmed exactly what he had been suspecting.

"That fool," he muttered to himself. He replaced the floorboard but kept the book with him. He needed to talk to Rumpelstiltskin.

Emma was at the sheriff's station, guarding Rumpelstiltskin. She looked lovely, he always loved a woman with authority. He walked into her office.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him.

"Hey," he held the book under his jacket, not quite ready to talk Emma about this. "Look, I need a few minutes to talk to Rumpelstiltskin, alone."

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" She was hesitant. After all he'd done she didn't fully trust him. He didn't like that, but he understood it.

"I'll fill you in later, I promise," he shot a smile at her, hoping that would work.

It did. She agreed to give him 5 minutes, and that's all he would need.

He walked up to the cell, Rumpelstiltskin was sitting silently on the bunk.

"Is this true?" Hook asked him, showing the illustration and explanation of the vault and reincarnation process.

"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin replied simply.

"And you have no idea who reincarnated you?" Hook asked again.

"No," He said bluntly.

"But it's a trade correct?" Hook said leaning forward. "Whoever reincarnated you would have given their life for yours?"

"Yes. What are you getting at, Captain?" the imp mocked him.

"I know who reincarnated you," Hook confessed. "And I made a promise to him, although I didn't realize what he was doing at the time. He didn't do it for you, he did it for Belle. She needs your help."

**Hope you enjoyed! R&R, check out my tumblr, all that good stuff. :)**


	3. Pieces

**Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter is so late, I had to move into a new apartment and college classes started so it's been crazy. This chapter has also been in a constant state of reworking since I started writing it and I kind of hate it, but hopefully I'm just tired of looking at it and it's actually not that bad. Hope you all enjoy!**

_Will entered Storybrooke like a whirlwind._

_Belle was trying hard to keep herself busy. The more she worked, the more she could keep her mind off Rumpelstiltskin. However, she could only work so much. The day was easy. She could manage both the library and the shop, eat lunch at Granny's, keep her mind off things. The nights were the hardest. She still slept in their bed, and cried herself to sleep every night. The room had stopped smelling like him, it only smelled of her now. She often clutched her pillow and sobbed; sometimes imagining that it was him and that he was there to hold her. She could work all she wanted during the day, but she hadn't figured out how to put her heart back together yet._

_She saw a lot of Will around town. She didn't question it like she should have. New people came in and out of town occasionally, she would leave the questioning up to the others. As long as she was being left alone, she didn't really care what was happening with everyone else._

_One day while Belle was eating lunch at Granny's, Will came in and started talking quietly to Ruby. Ruby spilled him a roll of money, and Will left. A strange encounter. When Ruby came over to bring Belle her food, Belle pressed the issue._

_"What was that all about?" Belle asked._

_"About what?" Ruby questioned, looking away._

_"Why did you just give Will all that money?" Belle pressed on._

_Ruby sighed and sat down on the other side of the table. "He's got the deed to the restaurant and the inn. I don't know how he managed to get it, I had just assumed you were taking care of Rumpelstiltskin's assets, but now we're paying our rent to Will. He owns everything."_

_Belle thought back to everything she had done after Rumple's death, admitting to herself that she hadn't even thought about all of Rumple's assets. Rumple always tried not to bring his menial work home, so Belle was rarely exposed to the business side of things._

_"But how did he manage to get all the deeds?" Belle wondered._

_"Well, apparently you didn't give them to him," Ruby stated, "but it doesn't really matter now because he has them. He acts shady about it too. He raised our rent slightly for this month. What we were paying under Rumpelstiltskin was already high, I don't know how much more we can afford to pay." Ruby walked away, and Belle wondered again how Will managed to acquire the deed to the diner._

_She also wondered why she hadn't had an encounter with Will yet._

_Belle went back to the shop. She looked at the statements for both the library and the shop, examining both. She never had to pay rent on the library because it was a gift from Rumple, and he never had to pay rent on the shop because it was his. Belle searched for the original deeds Rumple would have kept hidden, and that would give her ownership over the library and the shop. She didn't couldn't find them._

_Her rent was due in two days, and she didn't have enough._

Belle let her head fall into her hands and she sank down into her desk. Cheyenne was keeping herself entertained, and Belle finally felt like she could think about everything that was going on. She hadn't let herself imagine what the return of Rumpelstiltskin could mean. She had loved him so much, and she probably still did, but she wasn't going to let herself get lost in those feelings. If she lost her focus for even one minute, everything could fall apart. She thought about what she had felt when she saw him in the square. It was like her life had color again. Cheyenne had always added light to her life, but seeing Rumple again was like seeing everything clearly for the first time in a long time. He was back to being his human self when she saw him, and that was the man Belle had really fallen in love with. She wanted to go see him; to cry to him and tell him everything that had happened over the past four years. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him.

But then she thought about Will. She thought about how Will owned the town now, and had essentially taken Rumple's place. Will could cut her off easily from all of her funds, the shop, the house, everything. She hated that she had gotten herself into this situation, but then she thought about how marrying him seemed like such a good idea at the time. He acted like he loved her so much, and that he loved Cheyenne, and that they were a real family. Family was her weak spot. She never felt like she had one with her father, which is why she was determined to give Cheyenne the family Belle never had. For a while, she had felt like she had a family with Rumple. Herself, Rumple, and Neal. That was her family. She didn't even talk to Neal anymore. At first it hurt too much, and then she was too ashamed of what she was doing. For a time she had even hoped that she and Rumple would start their own family, but that was not to be due to his time being cut short. She thought about how alone she had felt after he'd left.

And for one brief second, she thought about how she could have a family with Rumple and Cheyenne. But then she pushed that thought back down deep into her stomach where she wouldn't even consider it again.

When Emma came back into the Sheriff's office, Hook had filled her in on everything he knew. Now, Hook and Rumpelstiltskin walked out the sheriff's office together. Rumple wasn't happy, with any of it. He was quite furious actually. The idea that anyone was hurting Belle made him sick to his stomach, and what Hook was telling him about who he believed revived him made Rumpelstiltskin even more angry.

"But like I said, I haven't seen either one of them since they came to me three days ago," Hook continued.

"But why did you help them?" Rumple snapped.

"They said it was for Belle. I didn't realize what they were planning at the time or I wouldn't have agreed, because we could have found another way. Belle has been through a lot that she doesn't deserve, and I just helped perpetuate most of it. The least I could do was try to help her out of her current situation." Rumple still was not happy. He was not happy with Hook or any of it. "Look, what's done is done. Emma and I will take over trying to locate the other two, and you go help Belle. She really needs someone to help her right now." Hook was genuine. He owed Belle a better apology than just a simple 'I'm sorry'.

They exchanged a few awkward words and then Hook left to go find Emma and coordinate a search for their two missing friends. Rumple stopped to collect himself, and figure out how he wanted to go about this. Ever since he had returned, all he could think about was Belle. The first thing he thought of when he woke up in the enchanted forest was her, and she was all he was thinking about now. She looked aged. She had lines around her eyes that she didn't have before, and she was still so young to have. She didn't light up a room like she used to, she seemed smaller and darker; fading into the background instead of being a constant presence. There was also the matter of the young girl that she always had with her. He had obvious assumptions about the child, but wanted to talk to Belle about it himself.

This was a very precarious situation, but he ultimately decided to just go and see if he could find her.

Belle had called Will to apologize to him about lunch. She felt bad, and she didn't want him to be angry with her. They had ended up back at the shop. Will was sitting behind the counter filling out some paper work, and Belle was walking around bouncing Cheyenne on her hip. Her baby laughed every time Belle would toss her up in the air slightly, only to cradle her in a hug.

"Momma!" Cheyenne yelled between a giggle.

"Yes, baby girl?" she responded.

"I love you, Momma," Cheyenne buried her face in her mother's chest. Belle loved Cheyenne so much, it was the only source of unconditional love she had left. This was also a very obvious indication that Cheyenne was almost ready for a nap.

Belle stroked Cheyenne's face. "She's got your eyes, you know?" She said to Will.

He looked up from what he was doing and examined his family. "She's beautiful, just like her mother," and he smiled at both of them. Belle loved it when he smiled, it reminded her of how they used to be.

"She's growing up so fast," Belle cooed at her daughter. "She's not going to need me to do things for her soon."

Will stood up and came over to them, putting his hand on Belle's back and kissing his daughter. Belle was happy, she felt like a real family and that's all she really wanted. She admired Will's strong figure and leaned herself against his chest, and drew lazy circles on her back. It was moment's like this that reminded her that Will really did love her, even when he didn't act like it.

Then the door swung open, and Belle's family quickly fell apart.

Rumpelstiltskin walked in, entering like it was still his shop. He probably felt like it was. Everything happened so fast from that point. Will dropped his hand from Belle's back and swung around to face him. Belle's mind went blank, running to the back room with Cheyenne. She placed Cheyenne down in her play area, and then ran back out, closing the curtain behind her. All she was thinking about was protecting her daughter.

When Belle got back to the front Will and Rumple were facing each other. Belle was terrified, her heart raced and she could feel her stomach in the back of her throat. This was everything she was afraid of, but she knew it was inevitable since Rumple had returned. However, this was the first time she had actually gotten the chance to see him up close since he had returned. He looked at her, she knew she looked terrified, and his face softened when he made eye contact with her. Her heart ached.

Rumple looked back at Will and his face hardened again. "You must be Will," he spat out the words.

"I am," Will replied.

"I need to speak with Belle," Rumple said condescendingly. Belle's heart started beating faster than it already was.

"No, you don't," Will stepped forward, straightening up, a typical Will intimidation tactic.

"Will…" Belle touched his arm. He turned slightly to look at her and his blue eyes were sharp. She backed off; she felt very small.

"She can talk to whoever she wants," Rumple continued.

"You're in my shop, I'll have you arrested for trespassing,"

"_You're shop?_" Rumple snorted, like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard all day.

"I have the deed, so it's my shop," Will said smugly. Belle hated hearing Will say that it was his shop. It wasn't his shop, it was her shop, he just collected the rent.

Belle heard Cheyenne start fussing in the back room; feeling the tension radiating from the front. "Rumple, you need to go," she begged him.

"Belle-" he started, but she cut him off as Cheyenne started to fuss louder, calling for her mom.

"Now, Rumple. Please," she pleaded with him through her eyes, hoping that he would realize that if he stayed it would just make the situation worse for everyone. Her heart hurt, because at the same time all she wanted him to do was stay.

Rumpelstiltskin was obviously conflicted. He knew that he couldn't simply leave her with a man that was hurting her. His protective instincts were going into overdrive. He did realize, however, what an awful plan this actually was, and he probably should have found some other way to contact her than barging into the shop where she and her abusive husband were having a moment.

Belle once again decided to take the situation into her own hands. It was obvious that neither Will nor Rumple were going to back down, and Belle knew exactly what Will was capable of. She took a breath, walked over to Rumple, took his arm and pulled him out the door. She knew he wasn't going to leave on his own, but he needed to go.

Once they were outside he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Just give me some time to figure all this out," she whispered rapidly, "but you can't come here again. Things are are complicated, please just don't make this harder than it has to be."

She left him standing on the street along with a piece of her heart.

When she walked back into the shop she knew what was waiting for her. Will would be furious. There was no method or reason to him at all, when he got angry about something there was no stopping it. She locked the door quickly and turned around. Cheyenne was still fussing.

"What did I say?" Will asked her.

"I need to go check on Cheyenne," Belle tried in vain to divert to conversation.

"Why did he come here?" Will asked louder.

"It's not like I invited him!" Belle shouted, and tried to push past Will to get to Cheyenne. Will grabbed her arm and spun her around, jerking her back towards him. She tried to jerk away but he was much stronger than her. "Will, please! He just came on his own, I told you I haven't had any contact with him!"

He lifted his arm and she felt the back of his hand make contact with her face. She let out a squeal and tried to cover herself but he still had a firm hold on her upper arms. her cheekbone ached from where he hit her.

"Please, Will," she whispered, feeling slightly disoriented.

He hit her again. She tried to move before he could reach her, but this only resulted in him hitting her hard on the side of the nose. She gasped at the instant headache it gave her. He let go of her arms, and she swayed but managed to stay standing.

"I don't want him here again. In fact, I want him gone completely." He didn't say anything else to her, he just walked out of the shop. She wanted to say something else, or wonder what he meant by gone completely, but her head was so foggy she couldn't think properly. It took her a few minutes to register that Cheyenne was still crying. As she walked back get her daughter she passed one of the many mirrors in the shop, and glanced at the dark purple bruise already forming around her eye.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't have a place to stay. His house had been sold, the shop was gone, and he wasn't welcomed with Belle. Luckily, the Lucas's had offered him a room for an extended amount of time, even after everything he had done in the past. He was trying to figure out what to do next, he had obviously handled the situation earlier very poorly, and would need to come up with a better plan than just confronting Will. He really needed to talk to Belle alone, but he didn't know how he get close to her without causing her harm.

There was a knock on the door, and he called for them to come in. Ruby entered.

"Hi," she said, opening the door slightly. "I know you're just trying to help Belle, believe me I want to too, but Will has a hold on everyone in this town. It's not as simple as just coming back in and dethroning him."

"Your point?" Rumple looked at her, unamused.

"Belle gave me this for you," she handed him a neatly folded letter. "Just be careful with what you do, I don't want her to be more compromised than she already is." Neither of them said anything else, and after Ruby left it took Rumpelstiltskin a few minutes before he could open the letter. When he finally did, he admired Belle's neat handwriting sprawled all over the page, it even smelled like her.

_Rumple,_ it read.

_You can't imagine the mix of emotions I've been feeling ever since I found out you're alive. I'm so unbelievably happy to see you again, but I'm also terrified because I know my current situation won't allow for me to see you. I was heartbroken after you died four years ago. It took me a really long time to get over it, and part of me never really did. You still hold a very large piece of my heart. If it were just me, I would have run to you the minute I saw you and I would be fighting to stay with you right now. But it's not just me I have to worry about. A lot has changed in the years you have been gone. Will is my husband now, and we have a beautiful daughter named Cheyenne. Cheyenne is the absolute love of my life, and the main reason I'm stuck where I am right now. If I tried to leave Will, that would mean devastating consequences for her, and I'm not willing to put her through that. Please understand that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect my daughter, even if that means staying away from you. Will owns the shop, and most of the town now, he's in the same position of power you used to be, minus the magic. The magic might be the only upper hand that you have. I don't know how long things can go on like this, but when Will wants something, he won't stop until he gets it. That's why I'm worried about you and I think you should stop trying to see me. Please understand I'm trying to do what's best for everyone. I'm so happy you're alive._

_xx Belle_

**Hope everyone enjoyed! Next chapter out soon! R&R, check out my tumblr and all that xx**


	4. Realizations

**Hi everyone, sorry this update is so late, but to be honest I can't promise constant updates. I'm back at university and I just have so much going on all the time. However, this story will be finished and I promise you a reasonably timely ending if you're willing to stick with my for a bit! I'm super excited about this story and have some interesting things planned for it (well I think they're interesting anyway). Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

_Belle tried to continue on like nothing was wrong. _

_It had been 4 months since Rumple passed away, but it felt like a lifetime, because already so much had changed. She had sold the library 3 months ago in order to pay her rent for the shop. She simply could not afford to keep both. She loved that library; she loved being around the books every day, and she loved that it was a gift from Rumple. It really hurt to let it go, just like everything else hurt. She knew selling the shop was just not an option, however, so as much as she wanted to keep the library she knew she couldn't. As much as selling the library hurt, selling the shop would probably destroy her. _

_So when her rent was due for the month and she realized she didn't have enough to cover it, she really started to panic. _

_She didn't do a lot of business at the shop. People really only stopped by to chat or when they needed something magical, but she knew very little about magic so she could never really help. She had been drawing from her savings to pay the rent for the past few months, but there was only so much of that she could do before she didn't have enough to live off of. She thought about the time before all this happened, when her life was simple and she was happy, but she couldn't live in the past now. _

_Maybe she could reason with Will, convince him to cut her rates or give her a break for a few months. She was having such a hard time getting back on her feet after Rumple died, he could understand that, couldn't he?_

_But Will seemed so cold. He was a businessman, and he didn't take many excuses. She wouldn't be able to reason with him, she knew, but she didn't know what else to do._

_So when he came to collect the rent a few days later and she still didn't have it, she tried talking her way out of it. _

"_You don't have all the rent money?" He asked flatly._

"_I- I don't," she stammered, regretting her decision to try and talk to him about this. "I've been having such a hard time getting back on my feet after my, um, partner died," _boyfriend _seemed like too casual of a term to describe her relationship with Rumple, "he always handled these things, and I think I just need a little bit more time to get myself together," she looked up at him, hoping to see some telling sign in his face. She didn't his eyes remained hard and focused on her. _

"_You were Mr. Gold's girl, weren't you?" He asked, although she wondered why he really cared. "This is his shop, isn't it?"_

"_Yes, I was and it is," she replied. _

_Will moved closer to her, and she stepped back a bit, but he had still almost closed the gap between them. _

"_Look, I don't do this for most of my clients, but I know this shop is special to a lot people," Belle smiled briefly, thinking that she had gotten through to him, and that he wasn't as bad a man as everyone was making him out to be, "but you're also a very beautiful woman, and I've had my eye on you since I first got to town," Belle's heart sunk. She hadn't gotten through to him at all._

"_Excuse me?" She asked, not wanting to think about what he was getting at. _

_He ran the back of his hand down her arm. "Either way, rent is due today. However, since this place is very special to you, and you're a very beautiful woman, like I said, I think we can work an alternate payment plan. His hand had moved from her arm and was now sliding down her back. She felt him stop at her lower back, resting his hand there for a moment, before moving it down to her bottom. She flinched and moved away, feeling a chill run down her spine._

_She was panicking now. "Who do you take me for?" The words came out faster than expected. She didn't want to sound weak or scared, she wanted to sound brave and secure. _

"_Suit yourself," he was crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. He was a very solidly built man, and slightly intimidating. "If you can't pay your rent, I will be repossessing the store in a few days." Belle was in shock. Somehow she never really thought she would end up losing the shop at the end of this. Will walked out of the building, but Belle didn't move. She couldn't process what had just happened. She knew a lot of people didn't like Will, but she didn't think he would end up being so sleezy. _

_But then the trepidation started to set in. If she couldn't pay him, she would lose all of it. She would lose everything that was Rumple's, and everything that was magic. Although she didn't know a lot about magic, she knew that if some of the items fell into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous. She had already lost all of Rumple's property, it was her responsibility not to lose anything else. _

_As much as she hated herself for doing it, she ran out into the street after Will._

"_Hey" She shouted as soon as she spotted him down the street. He hadn't gotten far, because as dirty as she felt it hadn't taken her long to make the decision that she had. _

"_Did you change your mind about our arrangement?" He smirked. She just stood there, trying to hold back tears, and silently begging him not to make this harder than it already was. She had made hard sacrifices for her loved ones before, she would just have to make another one now._

_She nodded and they walked back into the shop. Will didn't waste much time, he had his hands on her almost as soon as they stepped in the door. Belle tried hard to remove herself from the situation; trying to force herself to be anywhere but there. She felt Will's lips on hers, and then on her jaw, and on her neck. She stood there limp, trying not to cry._

_He stopped and started to undo his belt buckle, so she got down on her knees._

Belle's face didn't look much better the next morning after her fight with Will. It was swollen and bruised, and she had some distinct finger tip sized bruises on on shoulder. Those would not be hard to cover up, she could just wear a shirt with sleeves. Her broken face was going to be much harder to conceal, however.

Will was gone, most likely not wanting to see her after their ordeal yesterday. He always felt bad afterwards, and Belle usually forgave him, but she wasn't feeling quite as generous today. For the first time in a long time, she was actually very angry with Will. She didn't deserve to be treated like this. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling very liberated, but she figured it had something to do with Rumpelstiltskin being around again.

As angry as she was feeling, either way Will was gone and she had a bruised face. She didn't know what to do. She had to go out today. She had groceries to get, errands to run, little things that just couldn't wait, but she couldn't go out with her face like this.

After pondering the situation for a bit, she decided to call in a favor to Ruby. All Belle really needed today were a few basic things for the house and for Cheyenne, and she knew Ruby would pick them up for her if she claimed to be having a hard time with Cheyenne today. Being Belle's best friend, Ruby always had a soft spot for her whenever she thought that Belle was having an extra bad day.

As expected, after some coaxing, Ruby agreed and was at Belle's door a while later with a bag of groceries. Belle opened the door hesitantly, trying to keep the bad side of her face pointed away from Ruby. She knew this wouldn't work, and almost as soon as the door was open completely she heard Ruby gasp.

"What happened to your face!?" She almost screamed. Belle jumped and put a hand on Ruby, not wanting to make a scene or make the neighbors think anything was wrong. "Did Will do this to you? Belle, this has got to stop, this is getting really scary!"

"It's nothing Ruby, it was my fault anyway," Belle said sheepishly.

"Do you hear yourself?" Ruby almost yelled at her again. "I'm calling Archie, or Emma, or anyone that can talk some sense into you and put this creep behind bars," Ruby got out her phone and started to dial, and Belle started to panic, she didn't want anyone else seeing her swollen face, or knowing that she let this happen to herself. She lurched forward trying to snatch the phone out of Ruby's hand, and even though Ruby tried to maneuver away, Belle succeeded in grabbing the little object from her friend.

"Fine," Ruby said making cold eye contact with Belle, who stood in the doorway holding on to the phone, as if that would make this whole situation go away, "if you won't let me call anyone then I'm going to get Archie myself. Maybe you'll listen to an actual psychologist about how unhealthy this is."

Belle pleaded with Ruby not to get anyone else involved, to just give her the groceries and move on with life, but Ruby was not having it. She wasn't lying; Ruby walked away from the house and left Belle standing there still holding her phone. She wanted to cry, that went about as bad as it possibly could, but there was really no other way it could have happened. All Belle wanted to do was grab Cheyenne and run away and never look back. She went inside and closed the door, leaning against the wall while she tried not to let the anxiety get to her. Maybe she could put some powder on it so it wouldn't look quite as bad. That wouldn't really help the swelling, however.

She looked at Cheyenne playing with her toys in the living room. She called for her mother after she noticed Belle standing there in the doorway. The little girl had no idea anything was wrong, she just thought her mother didn't want to play with her. Belle gave in a helped Cheyenne dress her dolls to try and get her mind off of Ruby.

Ruby wasn't kidding. 20 minutes later she and Archie showed up at her door, and 10 minutes after that Belle was crying on the couch surrounded by her two closest friends. Cheyenne was in her lap, burying her head into her mother's chest, obviously feeding off her negative energy, but Belle really needed her daughter right now.

Ruby stroked Belle's hair, giving her soft words of encouragement. Archie wasn't quite as comforting as Ruby was. He was extremely sympathetic towards her situation, but being a psychologist he kept trying to say things to make Belle realize this situation was not okay.

"This is an extremely toxic environment for you, and your daughter," Archie went on, "It's bad enough he's hurting you, but what if he eventually starts turning on Cheyenne?"

The thought of that made Belle's stomach churn; she hugged her baby tighter. If it ever got to that point she would run. She would cross the town line and never look back. "I know," was all she could whisper into Cheyenne's hair. "I know he shouldn't be hurting me, but he really is a good guy, underneath it all."

"Wake up Belle!" Ruby snapped at her. "It's like he has you under some sort of spell or something. Can't you tell he's not a good man? He hits you! You deserve the world, not someone who couldn't care less about your well being."

This just made another tear roll down Belle's cheek. She really did believe there was a good man under Will's rough exterior. She had been right about Rumpelstiltskin, why couldn't she be right about Will? However, even though she did believe that Will had good in him, she was starting to doubt her own ability to reach it. She thought about those first few months after Cheyenne was born, and how he had been an amazing father and husband. How had it gotten so far from that? Now, especially after last night, Belle was more afraid of him than anything. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she knew if Will got angry enough he wouldn't care what happened to her.

"I know it's not a healthy relationship, but what can I do about it?" She was addressing both Archie and Ruby now. "I can't leave him, he has all my money and all of my things, and I am not willing to lose the shop. He could find me easily, he owns this whole town and knows where I would go. And once he did find me if I left, that would be it. I would rather just stay here with him and knowing that Cheyenne is safe and her environment is stable, and take the occasional swings from him." Belle looked at both of her friends. Archie looks very sympathetic now.

"We can help you, Belle, please don't settle for a life like this," he pleaded with her.

"You know who else could help you?" Ruby said quietly, "Rumpelstiltskin."

Belle's eyes got wide. "No! That's what started this all in the first place." The mention of Rumple made tears well up in her eyes again. It was hard enough trying not to think about him all the time anyway, she didn't need Ruby reminding her of how complicated this situation actually was.

"He has magic, Belle, the way I see it he is the only way out of this," Ruby was very frank with her, which she probably needed right now. Belle just shook her head. "At least promise me you'll think about it?" Ruby asked. This time Belle nodded in agreement. What Ruby didn't know is that Belle had already been thinking about it constantly.

That night Belle's stomach was in her chest. She knew Will would be out that night and she didn't have to worry about him coming home to an empty house, but she also made it clear to him that she was going to spend some time at Ruby's while Granny Lucas took Cheyenne at the diner. It didn't seem to phase Will, he left without much more conversation. Belle was feeling a rush of nervousness and adrenaline, like she was a teenager sneaking out after her curfew. The story she had told Will wasn't really true at all, she was actually going to meet Rumpelstiltskin.

All day after her conversations with Ruby and Archie all she could think about was him. She knew he just wanted to help her, but she had pushed him away. She didn't even deserve to have him help her, but she was also craving his presence. Ever since he had been back it was like she could feel him, like she was being drawn back towards him. She was painfully aware of this, that's why she had tried so hard to push him away. She was scared. But after talking to Ruby and Archie she realized things were not going to get better. She deserved to be happy, so she might as well give in and go see him.

Cheyenne was downstairs with Ruby, happily receiving all the attention she was getting from the diner's regulars. Cheyenne loved Leroy, and Leroy was a big softy around her. Belle took comfort in knowing that Cheyenne had a whole family of people standing behind her if anything ever happened to her.

Belle hadn't told Rumpelstiltskin that she was coming. She felt he might be more inclined to see her if she just showed up, but it was taking all the courage she had to simply walk up the stairs and knock on the door. She was terrified she would be rejected by him, and she didn't know what she would do then.

Eventually she made her way up to his room and made a few light taps on the door with a shaky hand. It didn't take him long to open it, and standing there in his doorway she felt the most vulnerable she had in a long time.

His eyes got wide when he saw her face. Oops, she had forgotten to put makeup on that.

"What happened to you?" He gasped.

"Can I come in?" She asked in a small voice.

He opened the door wider for her and lead her in. His hand landed gently on her lower back to guide her towards the side of the bed to sit. It was an unconscious gesture, but Belle was painfully aware of it. She was regretting coming here now, it was just going to make it all the more painful when it ended badly.

"Um, you probably don't even want to see me," she started awkwardly, but he interrupted.

"I always want to see you," he said.

"Right," she brushed that off, she wanted to get out what she had to say before she let her feelings take over. "Look, I'm really sorry about the past few days. That letter was a mistake. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that and I'm so sorry," she looked up at him to see if she could gauge his expression. She couldn't, he was just staring blankly at the wall, so she continued. "I was just really scared of what would happen if I came to see you. This whole thing would become really real, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that."

Rumple's expression remain unchanged.

"The whole thing just took me by surprise, and I wasn't quite ready to deal with it. I mean _how are you alive_?" She asked him.

He didn't say anything for another minute, but then he turned to look at her. "Did _he_ do this to you?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Belle just nodded silently. Rumple sounded absolutely disgusted. She felt like he should be disgusted at her for letting this happen.

"How did this happen?" He asked in the same tone.

Belle laughed an exasperated laugh. "Do you mean my face or all of it?"

He responded by lifting his hand to cup the side of her face. She felt a small pulse of energy as Rumple's magic flowed into her. When he took his hand down, she glanced at the small mirror that was on the wall by the bed, her face was back to normal with no cuts or bruises to be seen. Her skin still tingled from his touch.

"All of it," he said.

"It was never supposed to be a serious relationship, but then I got pregnant and all that changed. It didn't really have any other option except to become a serious relationship after that." Rumple didn't say anything, so she continued, "He has almost all of your property deeds. I was really irresponsible after you died, so I guess I managed to lose them. Everything just spiraled out of control and suddenly I had Cheyenne and I was completely dependent on him."

"He's hurting you, Belle." He replied simply.

"I know, I know," like she hadn't heard it before. She didn't want to admit to Rumple that for a while she actually enjoyed being with Will, and that she missed the way their relationship used to be. "I'm just clinging to a broken relationship, at this point," she mumbled. Rumple looked slightly hurt. She felt terrible, she didn't know how to handle this situation at all. She still loved Rumple, but she was married to someone else. "I, I want to be with you again, but I don't know how that can happen," she said this in an even smaller voice. That was the first time she had admitted it out loud.

He responded by putting his arm around her and pulling her to his chest. She slumped against his side, letting him support her. She'd never felt so vulnerable.

"I would understand if you had moved on after I left," Rumple started, "I wouldn't be happy about it, but I would understand. What I can't let happen is for him to continue hurting you."

"But what can you do about it?" Belle asked.

"We'll figure something out," he replied.

"Okay," she accepted that for now, knowing that they couldn't figure it all out tonight. "Can we talk about you? How are you here?"

"To be honest?" Rumple ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't really remember much. I woke up in the woods next to my vault and I was alone."

"Your vault?" Belle interrupted him.

"It's where the first dark one was created. It's the only thing possible to bring me back. Anyway, there was a note and a magic bean, and the note said 'To Storybrooke' so I came here." Belle still looked confused. There was a lot missing from his story. "That Pirate Hook thinks he knows who resurrected me, but the bad news is that it's a one for one trade, so whoever brought me back would have had to sacrifice themselves," Rumple was looking down, Belle thought he might be feeling slightly guilty about that.

"Who does he think it was!?" Belle asked in alarm.

Before Rumple could answer there was a loud knock on the door and the Ruby burst in. Belle jumped away from Rumple's embrace, and their position had obviously startled Ruby. Ruby's worried expression did not change, and this immediately sent Belle into a panic.

"What's wrong? Where's Cheyenne?" Belle jumped up, heart racing.

"She's fine, Leroy has her downstairs," Ruby said, putting Belle's mind a little bit at ease. "Will's downstairs, he's looking for you."

"Oh my god," Belle thought he would be so wrapped up in himself or the alcohol that he wouldn't even be thinking about her tonight. "My face!" Belle looked at the mirror. Her skin was glowing, and there we no longer any bruises after Rumple had healed her. She looked at Rumple with wide eyes, "put my face back to the way it was!"

"Belle," Rumple started to protest, but Belle interrupted him again.

"No, if there aren't any bruises he's going to know that I was with you," Belle pleaded with him.

Rumple sighed and stood up, putting a hand on either side of her face. She felt the energy go through her again, and then she felt a slight soreness where all her bruises had been. She glanced at the mirror again, her face was purple and swollen just like it had been.

"I'm going down there," Rumple said to her.

"No," she protested, touching his arm. "He thinks I was with Ruby tonight. Please stay here, we'll figure something out later I promise. I'll try to come see you again tomorrow."

He silently agreed, and Belle left the room, running down the stairs with Ruby. When she got downstairs Cheyenne was fine, Will was angry, but that was to be expected. She didn't even know what he was angry about, probably nothing, but the alcohol made it worse than it actually was. He didn't seem to suspect that she had been with Rumple, and she managed to calm him down and bring him home.

That night when they were laying in bed, Belle realized how bad of a situation this actually was, and she wondered how she could possibly manage to get herself out of it.

**Hope you enjoyed! R&R, check out my tumblr and all that. There is lots of stuff about Will and more about Belle's motives coming in upcoming chapters, and of course lots more Rumbelle, so get excited! xx**


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